With Wallabies fly-half Noah Lolesio set to miss the Test series against the British & Irish Lions, ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has weighed in on who should step up as the new starting 10 for the national team.
Larkham is widely considered one of the greatest playmakers the sport has ever seen, and the former Wallaby has coached Lolesio for years at Super Rugby Pacific level. Lolesio played 12 matches for the Brumbies last season, named in the run-on side each time.
In the Wallabies’ only Test before the Lions Series, Lolesio was named at fly-half ahead of last weekend’s clash with Fiji in Newcastle. Lolesio scored four points during a 60-minute shift before leaving the match on a stretcher at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Libbok on his goal kicking
Lolesio was discharged from hospital that night but returned for surgery on Tuesday. While the surgery was a success, the Wallabies confirmed in a statement the 25-year-old would “spend a period of time away from the game during his rehabilitation.”
With Lolesio set to miss the Lions Tests, Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh have emerged as the front-runners to slot into the starting lineup. Then there’s Super Rugby Pacific winner James O’Connor, who performed well off the bench during the Crusaders’ run to glory.
“I think our guys in Super Rugby have been playing well. You’ve got Tom Lynagh, you’ve got Ben Donaldson, you’ve got Tane Edmed… you’ve got guys around Australia who have been performing in Super Rugby,” Larkham told reporters on Wednesday when asked about who should replace Lolesio in the Wallabies.
“James O’Connor was over with the Crusaders and he was performing over there. There’s options there, it’s out of my hands, there’s options there. Part of me would like to see development for the future in that space but equally, I prefer to beat these guys.”
While Lolesio’s injury comes as a devastating blow to the Wallabies, Larkham did reveal some good news ahead of the Test series. After the Brumbies’ 12-point loss to the British & Irish Lions, Larkham revealed Rob Valetini has been back training this week.
Valetini is the two-time defending John Eales Medallist and that’s what made the backrower’s absence so significant from the side to play the Flying Fijians. La Rochelle lock Will Skelton was also missing, with the pair nursing calf injuries.
“He came back and trained this week,” Larkham revealed.
“Bobby’s a quick healer. He’s had a few injuries over the last couple of seasons and they’ve turned around really, really quickly.
“Fingers crossed there as well. He’s very important, I mean he’s very important for the Brumbies but he’s going to be very important for the Wallabies as well.”
Larkham’s Brumbies fought hard against the touring Lions on Wednesday in Canberra, but they went down singing 24-36. Corey Toole was among the try-scorers, with the Brumbies putting four tries on their heavily-favoured opponents.
That is the Lions’ second-last hit-out ahead of the Test series. They will take on an AUNZ Invitational XV at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, which will mark the first time since the late 1980s that Australia and New Zealand have combined forces on the rugby field.
